Hillary Clinton makes brief appearance at BookExpo

By HILLEL ITALIE
Associated PressPublished: May 31, 2014 1:00AM

NEW YORK -- Hillary Rodham Clinton made a brief, private appearance Friday at publishing's annual national convention, BookExpo America, and offered booksellers a few details about her upcoming memoir, "Hard Choices."

Clinton's publisher, Simon & Schuster, told The Associated Press that the former secretary of state and possible presidential candidate met in the late morning with some 100 American and international booksellers for about 45 minutes. The event was not open to the press and Clinton departed without visiting the floor of the Jacob K. Javits Center.

Clinton has said that her book, coming out June 10, will not be a Washington "soap opera" and has indicated for a long time that she will focus on her work as secretary of state and not on her bitter 2008 primary battle against Barack Obama. But "Hard Choices" apparently will at least refer to that time.

According to booksellers who attended, Clinton said that while writing the book she recalled how foreign officials marveled that she agreed to be in Obama's administration after such a disappointing campaign. She specifically cited one of her first trips abroad, to Indonesia in 2009.

Oren Teicher, chief executive of the American Booksellers Association, said Clinton offered a simple explanation for her decision to accept Obama's offer.